Chelsea are likely to make changes to their midfield this summer
Chelsea’s midfield could undergo something of a transformation this summer.
With Xabi Alonso starting his role on July 1, the former Real Madrid boss is expected to get to work right away. The Blues finished tenth in the Premier League last season so did not qualify for Europe and a clear-out of sorts is needed.
One player who could be on his way is Enzo Fernandez, who wants to depart SW6 when the summer transfer window officially opens later in the month. Chelsea are open to allowing the Argentina international leave, if the Blues have a £120million offer come their way.
If Fernandez does leave, the west Londoners will need a replacement. A player capable of playing with the likes of Moises Caicedo, Andrey Santos and Cole Palmer in the middle of the park is Adam Wharton.
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The 22-year-old scored once and contributed eight assists in 53 appearances for Crystal Palace during the 2025/26 season, and helped the Eagles win the Conference League. Valued at around £80million, Wharton has been told he could be the answer to Chelsea’s problems by former Blues star Andy Townsend.
Speaking to OLBG, Townsend said: “I could see a Moises Caicedo and Adam Wharton axis as the future of Chelsea. If that’s the way that Xabi Alonso wants to do it, whether it’s a 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-3, then I could absolutely see that working. I think Adam Wharton is a very classy player. He reminds me of Michael Carrick, the way Carrick used to play at Manchester United, he always looked like he had a bit of time on the ball.
“He wasn’t the quickest, and you think people would be able to get him and close him down, but that rarely happened. I think Adam Wharton is similar. Whenever I watch him play, he always seemingly has his next pass ready, as soon as the ball comes to him, he knows what he’s doing.
“Missing out on the England squad may act as a little bit of an incentive to feel that it’s time to move on. Palace have just enjoyed some success and on the back of that, it would make perfect sense for him to move. I think his left foot alongside Caicedo could absolutely work at a place like Chelsea. He is a talented player. In this era of players who are physical specimens, it’s nice to see someone who can do a bit of that but also has an elegance about his game.
“Adam Wharton has that. As I said, I think the nearest comparison I could make would be to someone like Michael Carrick. He plays in a very similar way. I think he’d suit Chelsea.”
